Marketing Articles by Stellarpoint Communications Group, Malvern Pa.

Branding Strategy - Effective Corporate Branding - Brand MarketinG for a New Small Business

Branding Strategy - Brand Marketing - To put it simply: Branding Strategy is the creation, development and management of the Marketing Message utilized to communicate your Business Strategy. Brand Marketing is the process utilized in implementing the various Integrated Marketing components of your Branding Strategy.

Regardless of whether you are Starting a New Small Business, selling a product, or Marketing a Service Business, any effective Integrated Marketing Strategy needs to start with a Brand Marketing message. How do you want your company to be viewed in the marketplace? What is the value of your products or services to potential consumers? What differentiates your business from the countless other businesses trying to persuade consumers they have a better product or service? These and numerous other questions need to be developed and answered effectively before the process of “Brand Marketing” ever gets off the ground.

Many business owners often equate Branding Strategy with their overall Business Strategy. While Branding Strategy is usually an integral part of any company’s overall Business Strategy, the foundation for marketing a successful business, product, or service is their Business Strategy. The focus of this article is not to define the components of a comprehensive Business Strategy; however, unless a company first establishes a good understanding of their overall business goals and objectives, how can any Branding Strategy or Brand Marketing Program be measured against their Integrated Business Marketing goals and objectives? An effective Branding Strategy is the face of a comprehensive business strategy.

The starting point for any Integrated Marketing - Corporate Branding Strategy must begin with the owner or CEO of the business. The CEO / owner of the company must be personally involved in the development of the Branding Strategy, and they must be passionate about communicating the Brand Marketing message. While the CEO must be supported by a strong Brand Marketing team, he / she must be responsible for establishing the focus and direction of an effective Branding Strategy. In addition, they also need to make themselves aware of what their target consumers are “really” looking for. The most comprehensive Brand Strategy will never get off the ground unless it has a good possibility of stimulating new consumer interest.

Technology also plays a significant role in any successful Branding Strategy. Technology helps to increase the effectiveness of Integrated Marketing Communications and improve the competitive marketing advantage of your business. Even if a company is operating with a limited Marketing Budget, the communication advantages of Media Advertising, TV Advertising, Marketing Videos, and Web Marketing should be included as part of any Branding Strategy, regardless of the actual timing for their implementation.

Most Branding Strategies will contain various Brand Marketing and Promotional Products Marketing components, depending on your business marketing objectives; however, every Branding Strategy should include: Unique Brand Identity Components, Brand Recognition and Brand Positioning Parameters, Employee & Consumer Communication Strategies, Brand Performance Indicators, and Comprehensive Brand Management Guidelines. As these and other Marketing Components are integrated into your company’s Branding Strategy, a clearer picture will start to develop as to the various Brand Marketing components necessary to achieve the goals of your overall Branding Strategy.

Effective Brand Marketing Campaigns and Social Media Marketing Programs are all about “Effective Communications.” Once a Company has developed a comprehensive Branding Strategy based on their overall Business Strategy, how effectively can they integrate or “Communicate the Branding Message” to their employees and the general public?

While every company understands the importance of Brand Marketing as it relates to potential consumers, some companies overlook the fact that Brand Marketing and Social Media Marketing should always begin with your employees. Regardless of their position within the company, your employees are often your best ambassadors for carrying the marketing message developed within your Brand Strategy.

Once your employees have “bought in” to your Branding message (if you can’t sell your employees on the message, it’s time to rethink the message), the process of Brand Marketing and Social Media Marketing is ready for targeted consumers. Unless your company is already a well know Brand and has a substantial marketing budget, it’s usually a good idea to start your Brand Marketing with a smaller and more targeted audience. The time you spend getting a better understanding of the needs and wants of various target audiences will make it easier to generate some initial successes in communicating your Brand Marketing message.

The goal of every effective Brand Marketing and Social Media Marketing Campaign should be to give your product, service, or company a unique Brand Identity which creates unique feelings of personality, expectations, and satisfaction.

The Final ingredient in any successful Brand Marketing Campaign should always be a focus on Customer Satisfaction. A Business can spend countless hours and dollars in marketing a unique brand and see their Brand Identity go down the drain if enough attention is not focused on Customer Service and Customer Satisfaction. While not a specific Brand Marketing component, Customer Satisfaction will impact the effectiveness of your Brand Marketing. Once a company has successfully communicated Brand expectations to the general public, those expectations need to be met using the highest levels of customer service in order to sustain the Brand Identity established by your Brand Strategies.